http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/125714.html
Ailene Voisin: Vegas bad bet to get NBA team
By Ailene Voisin - Bee Sports Columnist
Last Updated 12:23 am PST Monday, February 19, 2007
LAS VEGAS-The arena is a dinosaur. The traffic is horrendous. The smoking ban doesn't extend to the casinos, which means tourists will leave here with a freebie -- complementary cases of the infamous Vegas Throat. Other than that -- and excluding Dick Bavetta's footrace against Charles Barkley that was as lame as his officiating in Game Six of the Kings-Lakers series -- the reviews have been overwhelmingly positive.
The parties extended beyond the wee hours. The millionaires were generous with their tips and their time. The entertainment selections were as diverse as the old-time NBA, that era when games were affordable for rich and poor alike; depending upon one's tastes, show tickets were available for Dolly Parton, Glen Campbell, Prince, the Black-Eyed Peas, and for the die-hard NBA fan, Shaquille O'Neal's impromptu, totally hilarious break dance after Saturday's practice.
"It's living up to all of its attributes in terms of a tourist destination that we could have hoped for," Commissioner David Stern said. "We're very much about a celebration of our game, and for me, this weekend really ties it all together."
Just don't expect him back anytime soon. For all its booming population and long-term potential, Las Vegas has its own unique problems, and isn't exempt from the league's most contentious issues, either.
That little matter of betting on NBA games remains unresolved, and the arena situation is even more perplexing. Though Stern has become increasingly receptive to a compromise with the casinos that would allow gambling on games played outside the city, he is unyielding in his demands for a modern facility. And by all accounts, the Thomas & Mack Center has been an almost unworkable venue because of its tiny locker rooms, narrow corridors, limited parking spaces and outdated technological services.
Stern's recommendation to Mayor Oscar Goodman thus is the familiar one: build an arena, then we'll talk about a team.
"I said, Oscar, get together with (Clark County) Commissioner (Rory) Reid and tell us what you're prepared to do," related Stern. "Tell me what your proposal is. Oscar's response was, You mean the ball is in my court? and I said, Yes."
Goodman, the one-time mob lawyer and local icon, already has done everything but take a shovel to Stern's knees. He has pressed his fellow politicians, pleaded with his populace, schmoozed the area's wealthiest and most influential residents. He has promised the stars in hopes of constructing an arena.
He can take a hit himself, but he doesn't like to lose, and the NBA appears to be his best bet for a variety of reasons. The NFL is gambling-averse, and therefore not remotely interested. Major League Baseball flirted with the possibility of relocating the Montreal Expos to Las Vegas, then moved the team to Washington, D.C. The NHL is interested, but based on television ratings and a chronic lack of publicity, it just isn't as sexy.
The NBA by comparison has at least two elements in its favor -- a charismatic leader who might be the best entertainer in town, and the presence of the Maloofs, the Kings' co-owners who run the hottest resort in the city.
"We're not interested," Joe Maloof reiterated the other day, repeating his week-long mantra, "but somebody is going to come in here and be very successful. There is too much money here not to be successful."
Perhaps, but for the immediate future, for as long as Las Vegas is among the arena-challenged locales, Stern is directing his attentions to already-existing markets, with Sacramento ranking among his highest priorities. Those who doubted his intentions were resoundingly disabused on the notion Saturday. Asked about the Maloofs' possible motives and a Kings-to-Vegas scenario, there was no parsing of words, no misinterpreting his resolve. He was adamant, insistent, so impassioned about the Kings remaining in Sacramento that he single-handedly altered the discussion.
The buzz around town shifted to the Sonics and their possible relocation to Oklahoma City, and to the Hornets, who are returning to financially devastated New Orleans and a fan base that ranked last in attendance even before Hurricane Katrina. Abrupt, even visibly irritated when asked about Seattle, Stern was sympathetic, though reluctant to predict the Hornets' success or long-term viability in Louisiana.
So where to from here? Stern's people are heading back to Sac this week.
About the writer: Reach Ailene Voisin at (916) 321-1208 or avoisin@ sacbee.com.
Ailene Voisin: Vegas bad bet to get NBA team
By Ailene Voisin - Bee Sports Columnist
Last Updated 12:23 am PST Monday, February 19, 2007
LAS VEGAS-The arena is a dinosaur. The traffic is horrendous. The smoking ban doesn't extend to the casinos, which means tourists will leave here with a freebie -- complementary cases of the infamous Vegas Throat. Other than that -- and excluding Dick Bavetta's footrace against Charles Barkley that was as lame as his officiating in Game Six of the Kings-Lakers series -- the reviews have been overwhelmingly positive.
The parties extended beyond the wee hours. The millionaires were generous with their tips and their time. The entertainment selections were as diverse as the old-time NBA, that era when games were affordable for rich and poor alike; depending upon one's tastes, show tickets were available for Dolly Parton, Glen Campbell, Prince, the Black-Eyed Peas, and for the die-hard NBA fan, Shaquille O'Neal's impromptu, totally hilarious break dance after Saturday's practice.
"It's living up to all of its attributes in terms of a tourist destination that we could have hoped for," Commissioner David Stern said. "We're very much about a celebration of our game, and for me, this weekend really ties it all together."
Just don't expect him back anytime soon. For all its booming population and long-term potential, Las Vegas has its own unique problems, and isn't exempt from the league's most contentious issues, either.
That little matter of betting on NBA games remains unresolved, and the arena situation is even more perplexing. Though Stern has become increasingly receptive to a compromise with the casinos that would allow gambling on games played outside the city, he is unyielding in his demands for a modern facility. And by all accounts, the Thomas & Mack Center has been an almost unworkable venue because of its tiny locker rooms, narrow corridors, limited parking spaces and outdated technological services.
Stern's recommendation to Mayor Oscar Goodman thus is the familiar one: build an arena, then we'll talk about a team.
"I said, Oscar, get together with (Clark County) Commissioner (Rory) Reid and tell us what you're prepared to do," related Stern. "Tell me what your proposal is. Oscar's response was, You mean the ball is in my court? and I said, Yes."
Goodman, the one-time mob lawyer and local icon, already has done everything but take a shovel to Stern's knees. He has pressed his fellow politicians, pleaded with his populace, schmoozed the area's wealthiest and most influential residents. He has promised the stars in hopes of constructing an arena.
He can take a hit himself, but he doesn't like to lose, and the NBA appears to be his best bet for a variety of reasons. The NFL is gambling-averse, and therefore not remotely interested. Major League Baseball flirted with the possibility of relocating the Montreal Expos to Las Vegas, then moved the team to Washington, D.C. The NHL is interested, but based on television ratings and a chronic lack of publicity, it just isn't as sexy.
The NBA by comparison has at least two elements in its favor -- a charismatic leader who might be the best entertainer in town, and the presence of the Maloofs, the Kings' co-owners who run the hottest resort in the city.
"We're not interested," Joe Maloof reiterated the other day, repeating his week-long mantra, "but somebody is going to come in here and be very successful. There is too much money here not to be successful."
Perhaps, but for the immediate future, for as long as Las Vegas is among the arena-challenged locales, Stern is directing his attentions to already-existing markets, with Sacramento ranking among his highest priorities. Those who doubted his intentions were resoundingly disabused on the notion Saturday. Asked about the Maloofs' possible motives and a Kings-to-Vegas scenario, there was no parsing of words, no misinterpreting his resolve. He was adamant, insistent, so impassioned about the Kings remaining in Sacramento that he single-handedly altered the discussion.
The buzz around town shifted to the Sonics and their possible relocation to Oklahoma City, and to the Hornets, who are returning to financially devastated New Orleans and a fan base that ranked last in attendance even before Hurricane Katrina. Abrupt, even visibly irritated when asked about Seattle, Stern was sympathetic, though reluctant to predict the Hornets' success or long-term viability in Louisiana.
So where to from here? Stern's people are heading back to Sac this week.
About the writer: Reach Ailene Voisin at (916) 321-1208 or avoisin@ sacbee.com.
